But You Don't Understand
by Littlepham
Summary: Percy was the new kid who made a bet. Annabeth was the girl caught in the crossfire. One shot. AU.


___Percy Jackson was the new kid that made a bet. Annabeth Chase was just a girl caught in a crossfire. Oneshot. All Human, AU, A lot OOC (I suppose)_

_**I've never made a bet but we gamble with desire. I've never lit a match with intent to start a fire, but recently the flames are getting out of control. Call me a name, kill me with words, forget about me. It's what I deserve. – All Time Low**_

A/N- _Hi guys. __I was listening to the song Jasey Rae and these lyrics just stuck out to me. I also couldn't sleep and decided to write this one-shot. My beta, Melakhim, hasn't had a chance to read it, but I think it's fine. I just wanted to post it really badly. I couldn't wait to share it with you guys and I hope you guys like it! It was fun to try and write in a new style, let me know what you all think. P.S. The name of this fic is inspired by the song Perfect  by: Simple Plan. _

* * *

It starts with a group of boys sitting around a cafeteria table, ignorant and bored. Nothing good ever comes out of restless boys. There was a girl, blonde, grey eyes, walking to her seat. A boy spots the girl, goes to flirt, but the girl just wants to be left _alone_. The conversation started polite of course, but eventually the day catches up to the girl and she just wants to eat her lunch in peace. She asks the boy to politely leave her alone, he doesn't, she makes him and he does so unwillingly, spitting out horrid names and looking at the girl as if she was beneath him, nothing more than a pawn in his sick little game. He sits back down with his friends, disbelieving that he was just turned down, as if any girl could turn _him _down.

He wants revenge and he swears he'll get it.

There was a new boy- black hair, green eyes, an outcast among the throngs of the crowd. He just wants _friends_. He gets some. They're a group of loud, obnoxious boys. The boy doesn't like them that much but he has no other option. They willingly took him into the group, he wasn't just going to _leave_. One boy, an ugly scar running down the side of his face but beautiful blue eyes, sneers at the new kid. He sees the hesitation in his eyes, the _weakness_. He immediately doesn't like him, disregards him, he's not a threat to the boy with beautiful blue eyes. After a while, the other kids seem to like the outcast more than _him_.

Jealousy creeps through his veins, infecting his blood, making him a savage animal, and he's never felt more out of control. He bides his time, knowing he needs a plan, he won't be _replaced_.

The boy gets an idea and he knows it'll work. It has to.

;;

The boy with the scar knows exactly how this will play out. He's got it figured out, can recite it in his sleep, he _knows. _The only thing he can't figure out is when to start it. He needs the right time and he knows it. He waits and waits. He's not worried, he has everything figured out, knows what his next move will be. He waits a seemingly long time, but what is a long time?

The term "long time" is relative to the perception of an individual. To the boy, a year has passed, a decade, but to the boy with raven black hair a day could have passed, an hour. The boy with the beautiful green-blue eyes doesn't know exactly how much time has passed, he just hopes his good luck will outrace with time. The odds are improbable but he doesn't care, he won't, _can't_ go back to being the _outcast_, the loser, the bullied.

He won't and the other boy knows it. He sees how the boy who _replaced_ him thinks and his perception of time has suddenly changed, because now he knows when to initiate the play and he smiles.

;;

The boy with the eyes the same shade as the sky on a beautiful day, Luke, strikes up a conversation at lunch one day. He's seen the boy with eyes the same shade as the ocean, Percy, talk with the girl he swore revenge upon, _Annabeth_. He sneers, it's _too easy_. Two birds with one stone and he doesn't mind throwing the stone, not at all.

"So, Percy-" he says, "Do you want to make a bet?"

He knows the effect of his words. He knows the inner workings of a teenage boy. They can't resist a challenge, not if their life depended on it. Percy's chin lifts higher, his back straighter, and he casts a glance to the boys that took him in when he was a loner. He knows he can't refuse.

He nods his head at Luke, "Fine. What is it?"

_It's too easy,_ Luke thinks. A flash of pity and guilt appear but he shrugs it off. The jealousy and rage have taken over and he is more than happy to succumb to it. The boy with the beautiful blue eyes points to the beautiful blonde haired, grey eyed girl with her nose stuck in a book. Percy's eyes follow, suspicion showing in his tense posture.

"I _bet _you can't make her, Annabeth, date and fall in love with you by the end of the school year."

Percy knows it's a bad idea, he can feel it from the tips of his ears down to the toes of his feet. Taking advantage of another human for another's personal gain is just _wrong._ He knows he was raised better than this, can hear his mother scolding him in his conscious. Yet, he can't back down. Sure, he has the choice but at the same time he doesn't. He _knows_ what will happen and he refuses to go back. Percy's conscious keeps trying to rear its ugly head and he has to keep pushing it down. He nods to Luke, hesitant, but he nods.

Luke smiles and Percy knows that's what he was hoping for, what was expected. Percy feels dread and prays harder than before, that his good luck will save him once again. The boys around Percy clap him on the back, telling him that it was the hardest bet of the year and he should feel _honored. _Honored? Honored to mislead someone, gain their trust just to break it down again? He doesn't feel honored, no, Percy feels beaten and tired. He suspects what the outcome of this will be and he doesn't like it, not one bit.

He tries to delude himself into feeling better, but it's not working. He knows it won't, he still has to try.

;;

A couple days later, and there's more pressure than ever. The boys want him to go, make his move, seduce her. He doesn't want to seduce her, he hardly knows her, and she was one of his old crowd. She was a loner, the bullied, an outcast, _like him._ Luke knows something. It bothers Percy how much he seems to know. The boy with the beautiful blue-green eyes decides to start. He needs to win this bet. He knows he does. He hates it, but he does. He gets up from the table and approaches the girl with the blonde hair. The girl like him.

The girl with the grey eyes looks up to a coughing sound. She sees the boy she has art with and can't help but feel pleased yet wary. He was popular, beautiful, so why was he talking to her? Not a lot of people are willing to talk to her, they stay away like she was a disease. It hurts, how they look at her. How was she a disease? What did she do? She doesn't know the answer and the girl craves it. Craves it so strongly, she feels it churning her gut. She just wants the looks gone, wants a person to _understand_. She doesn't think anyone has understood nor does she think anyone ever will. The boy, Percy, smiles down at her and she smiles back. No one in this dreaded school has looked at her like that before, like she was _worth something_. He sits with her for the rest of the lunch period, not moving, attentive, and calm. He doesn't flirt, doesn't do anything. He just sits and talks and she likes it, he's funny. He asks if he can sit with her again.

She feels that sensation warning her of something, but she pushes it back down. She nods at him and sees him grin, waving goodbye to her. She can't help the smile on her face.

After he leaves her table, he feels horrible, wretched, a coward. He doesn't believe he just did that. The Percy he knew would never have done that. He saw the look in her eyes when he walked over. That desperate need of companionship shining so strongly it almost overtook him. What's worse is that he _liked _her. She was cool, nice, had a nice laugh, a nice everything. He can't believe and won't believe that he played her.

He tries over and over to convince himself that she won't be affected, she wouldn't have to find out. He repeats the lie over and over to himself, when he arrives at school, down to the dinner table. His mother and stepfather notice. They pull him aside and ask him what's wrong, they don't want to see their baby look so _sad_. He shrugs out of their loving grip, states that he's _fine_, and walks to his room. He is fine, isn't he? Fine is just a word, wasn't it? No meaning, unless you give it one, and he refuses to feed it. He tells himself he's fine, over and over again until it was just a sound uttered from his mouth.

He's okay with this. He has to be.

;;

Another week passes, he still talks to her. That's it. He doesn't want to do more than talk to her. The boys, his so called _friends_, confront him one day. They demand why he's not trying harder, it's almost been two weeks and they only have 4 months left of school. He panics, tells them that he has a plan. They walk away, smug, believing his lie. They can't wait to see Annabeth Chase reduced to worse than nothing.

The boy with the blue eyes watches him, can see the hesitation in his eyes. He's _weak_, as Luke suspected all along. No matter, he knows the outcast will see it through. He knows.

;;

At the end of the two weeks, he asks Annabeth if he can sit with her in Art because they're _friends _now. She smiles, eyes shining,and tries to play it off as nothing, but he can see the happiness emanating from her. It makes him want to drown in a sea of his own self- pity. He's a coward and he knows it. The word _friend_ leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. He would like to be friends with her but of his own free will, not because he'd been so _stupid_ and made a bet. He sits with her at art anyway. He can't help but notice that her blonde, curly hair suits her. He likes her skin tone. He likes the button nose she possesses. He knows what's happening in his subconscious but refuses to acknowledge it.

Refuses to admit that he likes her.

;;

A month goes by, they sit in art, they sit at lunch together, and they joke and laugh. She's happy, he is too, in short bursts anyway. One moment, he's more than happy to tell her stories of what happened when he accidentally set his kitchen on fire. Other moments, after the receding laughter and he's staring at her, he feels the burden. The guilt. It's eating him alive. There's nothing he can do. It's an acid and it's eating him from the inside out. He plasters on a smile anyway and acts like nothing's wrong. If he focuses, he can pretend it isn't for a stupid bet and they're just two _real_ friends, it makes him feel slightly better.

Another week goes by, Percy has yet to make a move. He feels their judging looks when he hangs out with them. He doesn't want to be with them anymore, but he can't leave, so he doesn't. He stays. Luke pulls him aside one day when they're leaving the school.

He tells him, "It's now or never."

Percy knows what he means. The implication. He takes the bait and he knows he's done for. He prays again for his good luck to win in the race against time. The boy with ocean eyes knows how the grey eyed girl feels. He feels her stares at him when his back is turned, the blushes, everything. He knows and with Luke's push, he acts on it.

The next day at lunch, he sits across from her, as usual. He has the speech in his mind and he's ready. He's ready to get the words out. Ready to get this one step closer to being over.

She sits down, across from him, as usual. Nothing is different. At least, she doesn't think it is, not until he opens his mouth. He tells her how much he has admired her from the beginning, how he likes her, maybe even _loves _her, asks her to be his girlfriend. She just stares at him. She stares at him for what feels like forever, her mind blank, and the words in her throat stuck. She notices his expression, those beautiful eyes waiting, and she doesn't disappoint.

She knows how she feels, didn't think he felt the same, she didn't think he knew about her feelings. It doesn't matter though, she told him the one word he wanted to know, "Yes."

He brightens and smiles at her, taking her hand. She sees an underlying sadness that's always been present in his eyes. She wonders what it is, but doesn't push. Everything's okay. He likes her, she likes him, and that's all she needed.

;;

A month pass by for the couple. They're happy. Annabeth is blissfully happy and Percy's happiness is contingent on Annabeth's. His guilt and conscious rear their ugly head at him sometimes but for the most part, he can ignore it. He's learned to master those demons. One day, Annabeth invites him over. Percy agrees. He meets her younger brothers and sees the joy they bring out in her. His demons come out to play again. He wrestles them down and watches the beautiful girl play with her brothers.

Later, they're watching movies and she falls asleep on him. Her head is on his shoulder, her hair tickling his chin and underside of his face. He stares at her and feels an adoration come up. Of course the guilt is back, but it's bearable, not like before.

Before he knows what he's doing, he presses a kiss to her temple. She sleepily opens her eyes and smiles at him. It pulls at his heart and he wants to bury his face in his pillow. She wraps her arms around his neck and pulls his head down, they kiss and she sleeps again. He feels dirty. He makes an excuse to see her later, kisses her again, and walks out her front door. Once in his car, he lets the demons feed. He deserves the pain.

;;

Another month passes by and he knows his time is running out. He has two months left and the boys won't _stop_ reminding him. If anyone knew, he knew. He and Luke. Luke, the boy who watches him, hungrily and watchful, he knows something. This is all a game to Luke and Percy knows it is. He sees it. He feeds off of the pain Percy feels.

He doesn't know what to do, he's in a room and the walls are closing in on him, pushing him to his max, there's only so much he can do to keep them at bay.

One day, Annabeth invites him over and she's crying. He drops everything he's doing and rushes over. He pulls her into his lap and holds her while she sobs her heart out. Her frame is shaking, her throat raspy, and her eyes puffy and red. He whispers soothing words into her ears, tells her how strong she is, how okay everything is going to be because she has _him_. He feels like a dirty liar.

When she finally stops, he brushes his thumb under her eyelids and keeps more tears from falling. He asks her what's wrong and she chokes trying to tell him. He hugs her to him again, kissing her hair, and letting her rest. She fights her way out of his grip, faces him, and grips his hands. She grips his hands so hard, it almost crushes his bones.

She finally has the energy to talk. She turns to him, her voice but a whisper, "My parents are getting divorced and they're separating me from my brothers."

He knows how much her brothers mean to her. Once she told him that they were all she had left, besides him. She knew her parents were going to get divorced, she's known it for a while and she didn't care. Her parents neglected her, left her alone, and it hurt. The only thing that mattered were her brothers.

He soothed her, reassured her that everything was going to be _fine_. She looked up at him and smiled. A smile that she kept for him and only him.

"I love you, thank you."

He wants to die.

He spent last night thinking of how to fix this. He didn't know how and he knew the extent of his worth. He was worth nothing. He had told Annabeth he loved her back. He knew he did in actuality love her and it didn't matter. He still lied to her. It didn't matter the circumstances, he's been lying to her since the beginning. He wanted to curl up in a ball last night and forget the world. Forget everything, but he _couldn't_. He hated himself. Hated everything about himself and he let tears fall as recompense.

He returns to school the next day with a heavy heart. He called all the boys last night, telling them he had won the bet. Some whoop and holler, some scowl. He sees Luke at the corner of the circle they made. He tells them and of course, they believe him. They know what kind of person Percy is. The thing that nags at Percy is that Luke didn't seem confused. He shrugged at the raven haired boy. Percy feels worse, he doesn't care. He wants to keep dating Annabeth, he loves her, and wants to _stay._

After the meeting, Luke whistles all the way to his locker. He lost the bet, Percy beat him, and he is happy. He knows it's not over. He's seen the way the outcast tortured himself with the lies. The blue eyed boy is well aware of what happened. _He fell in love._ It makes him sick.

The plan is almost over and the boy with the scar is ready. He's ready.

;;

A boy with beautiful blue eyes and a scar approaches a beautiful girl with blonde hair and grey eyes. He beckons her close and whispers in her ear. She pales and steps back. Her eyes fill with tears. She's shaking her head, over and over again, calling him a liar. The boy is leaning against a wall, smirking.

He says, "Ask him yourself."

The girl is still shaking her head, her eyes closed now. Her heart is breaking and there is nothing she can do. She runs.

;;

That same day, a boy with beautiful ocean eyes sits across from a girl with grey eyes, as usual. Nothing is different. At least, he doesn't think it is, not until the girl opens her mouth.

She looks up at him with tortured eyes and says, "Is it true?"

His heart breaks. He knows exactly what she's referring to. No, this can't be happening.

He doesn't answer and he doesn't need to. She sees it in the way his expression changes. It's all she needed.

She cries now, openly. The girl doesn't care that everyone's watching. He doesn't care either. She's crying and that's all that matters. He reaches for her, the words stuck in his throat, and his eyes full of tears. He can't stand it.

She jerks away from him, his touch burning her. He flinches. She's never done that before, not to him. It's new and it _hurts_.

She looks up at him again, "Why?"

He doesn't have an answer. He knows if he tells her the truth, she will run. She will be long gone and he can't have that. He doesn't want her to leave, ever. But he knows he has to tell the truth. She deserves the truth. She deserves the truth, from _him _and no one else.

He tells her the truth. She cries harder, his pain buries itself deeper. He knows he will break. The walls are getting closer, they're suffocating him. There's no way out, no way left to run. His demons are there, ready to feed.

It seems his luck has run out.

The truth hurts. It hurts so much, physically and emotionally. She snarls at him to leave her alone. He used her, betrayed her, and left her for the dogs.

She says, "I hate you."

He replies with, "I'm sorry. I love you."

The anguish in his eyes is palpable. She gets up and runs. She doesn't know what to do.

She was right all along. No one ever understood, and no one ever will. She is truly alone in the world.

;;

The following days pass by in a blur. They both torture themselves, over and over again. Annabeth is untrusting again, snapping at anyone that gets too close. Percy is living with the grief. He distances himself.

He can't take it.

He's an outcast again, but this time, he doesn't care.

;;

He sees Annabeth in the hallway one day. He decides to tell her hello.

She flinches and starts crying again.

He hates himself.

He wraps his arms around her, she shoves him off of her and yells.

The yelling makes him remember his place. Where he stands in her life, and it's nowhere.

That in itself, makes him almost sob.

He swears he'll make it up to her, if it's the last thing he does.

;;

She hates herself.

She still loves him, even though she knows it was all a ploy.

He looks at her, with anguish and despair, and it's almost enough to make her fall back into his arms. She always believed herself to be independent, she didn't need anyone. She still doesn't. She doesn't _need _Percy, but at the same time, she does. Her existence isn't dependent on his, but the moments when she was happiest, was with him.

She thought he understood her. He told her of his time being bullied and she reciprocated with similar tales. She could not and would not believe it was all made up. It wasn't. He told her the truth and his status was worth more to him than her.

It hurts so much, it's eating at her, and she wants to cry again, harder than she's ever cried before.

Percy stops her again, the next day.

He pleads with her to give him another chance. He cries, so hard, and she can't take it.

She says, "I'll think about it." She wants to hate herself for being so weak, but the glimmer of hope in his eyes stops herself.

For him, that's enough. He didn't mean to cry, he just did. He's okay with it.

He has a plan and he's ready. He's ready.

;;

That weekend, Percy walks up to Annabeth's doorstep. She opens the door, surprise blatantly obvious. He feels the nerves working themselves again. He wills himself to stop being a coward. He doesn't know if she will let him speak, if she doesn't, it's okay. He only wants what's best for her. He asks her if he can talk to her.

She retorts with, "You already are."

He grins, his face almost breaking in two. She sees his grin and feels uncomfortable. Annabeth didn't mean to let that slide, it just did. Annabeth wonders what he has planned. The rational part of her brain viciously tells her to slam the door in his face and go back to sleep, but the other part was telling her to find out what he had to say. The curiosity wins out.

He clears his throat and tells her everything. Everything. Starting from his earliest childhood memories to that very moment. He needed her to understand. When he gets to the awful part of the bet and everything to do with it, he sees her almost slam the door in his face.

He quickly relays all of his thoughts and feelings during those months. Both the demons and the happiness that he experienced. He told her how much he loved her and she let a smile break onto her face. When he finishes, she's staring at him and he's shaking with nerves.

He waits a long time.

She thinks she's found someone who understands.

She hugs him and he hugs her back. She tells him he's an idiot, he knows.

;;

Luke had never been happier. He knew his plan would work, they always do. He watched their fight and break up firsthand. He couldn't help but feel pleased with himself. The days following their break up, were some of the best days of his life. He saw the way they both shut down, drained, and utterly exhausted. It got better when the outcast left the group, telling them they were all bastards he wanted nothing to do with.

The world was right, to him. His state of bliss only lasted a couple weeks though.

When he returned to school one day, he saw the green eyed boy and the grey eyed girl _smiling._ It was impossible. This was _not_ part of his plan, he wasn't prepared for this outcome. It was too outrageous, too improbable, and too dangerous. He didn't know what to do. He stood there stunned and watched as Percy Jackson winked at him from across the hall. Blind rage filled him and he could feel himself shaking. He doesn't know what to do.

He wasn't ready for this.

;;

After their hug, Percy and Annabeth did not get back together. Annabeth knew better than to willingly and so easily hand over her heart again. He shattered it and she was not going to let him possibly toy with it again. She told him they would be friends. His grin dropped a little bit, but it was to be expected. He didn't expect to win her trust back so fast.

They arrived to school, still sad but happier considering what had happened. They messed with Luke, watching his world spiral out of control. It was oddly pleasing for the both of them.

Percy sat at lunch with her again, at first a little awkward, but soon they both fell back into that rhythm they had known before. They were both outcasts to everyone but each other and it was okay. It didn't matter what they thought if they only thought with their shallow comments and meaningless remarks.

A while later, a girl with beautiful grey eyes sits across a boy with beautiful ocean eyes, as usual. Nothing is different. At least, she doesn't think it is, not until the boy reaches over and grabs her hand. She is hesitant at first, having her heart broken by this same boy before.

Eventually, she smiles and squeezes back. He grins and it's breathtaking.

He promises to love her.

She tells him, "Don't make promises you can't keep."

He smiles knowingly at her and tells her that he knows he can keep this one.

She rolls her eyes and laughs anyway.

;;

Years later, he asks her a question and slips a ring onto the finger of the hand he grabbed before.

She smiles and says the word she knew he'd been waiting for, "Yes."

He smiles and whispers to her later that day, "I told you I could keep that promise."

She rolls her eyes and laughs.

_Fin._

* * *

_Thank you for reading, I appreciate it so much._

_Phrases to think on- I'm just a believer and that's what gets me through._

_Cover Art- .com _


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